DeCA, ADR, DI, and SANDACH: How to Integrate the Electronic Administrative Control Document (DeCA) into Other Transport Documents
22 Jul 2026
The digitization of transportation documents in Spain has taken a significant step forward. The Resolution of June 5, 2026, issued by the General Directorate of Road and Rail Transportation, which amends the ROTT, not only regulates the characteristics of the electronic Administrative Control Document (DeCA) for transportation but also expressly confirms a possibility that could transform document management for many operators: the use of other transportation documents as valid support for the DeCA.
The measure particularly affects sectors where specific mandatory documents already exist, such as the transport of dangerous goods (ADR), the shipment of waste (DI), or the transport of animal byproducts not intended for human consumption (SANDACH).
The issue is no longer simply how to digitize administrative control documents, but rather how to avoid duplicate documentation and leverage a single information flow to meet multiple regulatory obligations simultaneously.
As we have already seen in various posts, the administrative control document is based on Order FOM/2861/2012, dated December 13, which regulates the control documents required for public road freight transport.
Its purpose is not to certify technical aspects of the goods being transported or specific industry requirements. Its purpose is to enable the government to verify who contracts the transportation, who performs it, and under what conditions the operation takes place.
Therefore, the required information includes, in particular, the identities of the contractual shipper and the actual carrier, as well as basic information regarding the transportation service.
Starting in October 2026, the DeCA must be managed entirely in electronic format using native digital PDF documents with a unique URL and an associated QR code, eliminating the need for physical copies during roadside inspections.
Section 8 of the Resolution of June 5, 2026, clarifies one of the most important issues for the sector.
The regulation expressly permits the DeCA to be issued using formats designed for other transport documents, including:
However, in order to ensure the feasibility of using these formats, the Administration imposes a fundamental condition: regardless of the format used, all data required by Article 6 of Order FOM/2861/2012 must be included, including the explicit and distinct identification of the contractual shipper and the actual carrier.
From a regulatory perspective, the change is significant.
Traditionally, each legal obligation resulted in a separate document. Thus, a transaction might simultaneously require:
The June 2026 amendment to the ROTT points toward a different model. Now, if a document already contains all the information required by various regulations, there is no need to duplicate documentation.
This approach is consistent with the philosophy of Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 on electronic freight transport information (eFTI), which is based on the principle of “enter data once and reuse it for multiple regulatory purposes.”
Furthermore, the Resolution itself acknowledges that compliance through eFTI schemes can replace the conventional filing of the DeCA.
The ADR document is governed by the ADR Agreement and is primarily intended to ensure the safe transport of dangerous goods. It includes critical information such as:
For its part, the DeCA serves an administrative purpose related to transportation activities.
Based on our analysis, we conclude that an ADR document does not automatically replace the DeCA. However, they can be integrated.
However, the only condition is that the integrated ADR must include the mandatory information set forth in Article 6 of Order FOM/2861/2012 and, in turn, comply with the ADR’s own requirements, which include the requirement for a signature.
The Identification Document (DI) is primarily governed by:
The Royal Decree itself defines the DI as the document that identifies and accompanies the waste during its transport and establishes its mandatory minimum content.
Yes, but only if it also includes the information required by transportation regulations.
In this case, the advantages are very clear, since the DI already contains much of the information regarding the operator, origin, destination, carrier, waste, and traceability of the shipment.
For this reason, adapting it to simultaneously serve as a DeCA typically requires relatively minor adjustments compared to other sector-specific documents. The most notable change is that the DI requires a signature, so an advanced electronic signature must be included.
The transport of animal by-products not intended for human consumption (SANDACH) is primarily regulated by:
These documents establish the requirements for traceability, identification, and accompanying documentation for SANDACH materials during transport.
The answer is yes.
The 2026 Resolution expressly mentions SANDACH documents among the formats that may be used as supporting documentation for the DeCA.
However, as is the case with the ADR or the waste transport document (DI), it will be necessary to verify that the document includes all the information required by transportation regulations, as well as an advanced electronic signature, given that SANDACH documents must be signed.
Based on the analysis above, we can conclude that the regulations support the use of the electronic administrative control document (DeCA) for transportation in the formats of other transportation documents, regardless of what those formats may be.
Thus, this possibility opens up two strategic paths for the digitization of transportation documents: the coexistence model and the integration model.
It involves keeping each document separate.
The main advantages of this approach are its ease of implementation, minimal system customization, and lower risk of initial errors.
However, it has significant drawbacks that can affect operational efficiency:
It involves using a single, expanded sectoral document to also serve as the DeCA.
The main advantages of this option are:
However, there are some important considerations to keep in mind in order to comply with regulations and ensure the validity of this expanded document:
As set forth in Article 4 of the June 2026 amendment to the ROTT, in cases where, due to the operation of the transportation service or applicable regulations, the electronic administrative control document (DeCA) is also used for contractual purposes and signatures must be included, in such cases, at a minimum, an advanced electronic signature must be used.
In the cases we have analyzed, the inclusion of a signature is mandatory if the document integration approach is chosen, since the use of a signature is required in all of them.
The DeCA’s integration capabilities demonstrate that the digitalisation of transport is not an isolated process, nor is it disconnected from the rest of the business. Far from being a standalone procedure, the DeCA integrates directly with key systems (ERP, TMS and WMS) and with internal processes to automate the flow of information from start to finish.
By connecting the DeCA to the company’s business system, the data for each consignment is automatically shared between sales, the warehouse and transport. This eliminates duplication of tasks, prevents manual errors and ensures that the entire operation runs seamlessly and in real time.
The Resolution of June 5, 2026, marks a turning point in the digitization of documents in the Spanish transportation sector.
The government is no longer thinking in terms of isolated documents, but rather in terms of reusable data capable of meeting multiple regulatory requirements.
ADR, waste, SANDACH, waybills, and DeCA are no longer isolated compartments but rather parts of the same document ecosystem.
As a result, the question for shippers, logistics operators, and carriers is no longer whether they can integrate these documents. The strategic question is whether their systems are ready to generate a single source of information capable of simultaneously meeting all applicable regulatory requirements.
The document digitization module of FIELDEAS Track and Trace, Smart Docs Hub, is designed by and for the transportation industry with the goal of digitizing the entire document ecosystem in a secure and flexible manner.
The document digitalization module of FIELDEAS Track and Trace is characterized by its flexibility, as it includes the following aspects:
With Smart Docs Hub, you get a document that is valid from every administrative, legal, and regulatory standpoint.
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